Danube Agrarian: “We grow everything!”
–It seems to me that there is no other company in the world that has as many organic areas as ours: crop production, vegetables and fruits, animal husbandry, medicinal herbs, processing and much more, - Roman says proudly.
The businessman says that after buying a new business, he had to sit down for textbooks. After his first education he was a heat engineer, at that time he already had a business education, and here he needed knowledge of agronomy. He entered the Agricultural Academy for a specialization as an agronomist. But agricultural techniques in organic farming are significantly different from the usual, and sell organic products in a completely different way. That's why I had to learn a lot abroad. I watched how the best farms work. I learned all the intricacies of my business: from agro-technologies to brand positioning.
Initially, they were mainly engaged in the export of grain and industrial crops (wheat, rapeseed, sunflower, barley, etc.). Gradually began to produce more and more finished products and bring it to the internal market. Today, the products of "Danube Agrarian" can be seen in most retail chains: Goodwine, WineTime, Silpo, Novus, Ashan, Velyka Kyshenya, MegaMarket, etc .; regional retail chains, in specialized stores of healthy food. Finished products are also supplied to many countries around the world: Switzerland, Germany, Romania, Poland, USA, Canada.
–In assortment more than 50 items of production, thus only melons almost 50 various grades, - Roman Dyazhuk tells. - We have a lot of products that none of the organics grow anymore. That is, many unique products with a wide range. The plan is to provide the entire food basket with our organic products.
There are opportunities for such plans.
Of course, as with any business, organic farming has many specific risks.
–First, you need to find those crops that you can really grow in your environment. Secondly, technologies are needed. And, thirdly, you need marketing - because without it you will not sell what you produce, - Roman says. - In general, the path of organic production is very long and difficult. Such products require more time, higher risks, higher costs and should be sold completely differently.
The farm produces not only eggs, but also chicken and duck meat, and has a modern shop for processing and packaging meat.
The orchard was laid from scratch, nectarines and peaches grow here. These are the crops that are very affected by pests, and therefore in conventional agriculture they are most intensively treated with chemicals. Nectarines and peaches are traditionally included in the rating of "Dirty Ten", a list of vegetables, fruits and greens with the highest content of residual pesticides. Therefore, by the way, you can consume only organic stones without harm to health
The farm is also the only one to grow organic batata - a useful product that is greatly-demanded abroad, but is still little known in Ukraine, so it has to be actively promoted.
It seems that the "Danube Agrarian" really grows everything: wheat of different varieties, millet, lentils, corn, canola, barley, peas, chickpeas, mustard, sunflower, potatoes, onions, beets, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, batata, melons…medical plants, watermelons and even cubic ones, which have already become a symbol of the farm. Probably most publications in the country wrote about them.
–I can't say that I was counting on such a stir, but I admit that we are really trying to come up with something interesting and original. Cubic watermelons are grown in Japan. I wanted to try too. We have the first cubic organic watermelons. And now our farm is associated with them. It's like our logo.
“Danube Agrarian” products are not processed for long-term storage. After collection, it is sent to the refrigerator in compliance with the optimal temperature, and then transported to Kiev and other cities in refrigerators.
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